Currently, numerous kinds of electronic devices such as a smart phone, a tablet, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and so forth are equipped with a camera or a camcorder to capture still or motion images. Although a file that stores a still or a motion image has information of the data and time during which the file has been created or stored, such still or motion image normally does not have location information automatically affixed to it.
A global positioning system (GPS) receiver that is a satellite based positioning system could be utilized to provide location and time related information for captured images. A GPS receiver could be used to calculate the position of a device in terms of longitudes and latitudes or in terms of a coordinate on a map from satellite signals. If an up to date ephemeris of satellite information is available to a GPS receiver, location information could be calculated from satellite signals.
However, one problem of using the GPS to obtain a location information is that satellite signals very faint typically, and location information calculated from satellite signals could be unreliable. More, in order to keep the ephemeris updated, a GPS receiver may need to download the ephemeris directly from a satellite. The download of an ephemeris could be a relatively slow process since location information could be required instantly. For example, in one scenario, a user may an immediate impulse to turn on a camera to capture a picture, but the GPS could not determine the current location of a user in time. In another scenario, a user of a camera may need to capture several pictures consecutively in a fast moving vehicle. For this scenario, the GPS receiver may also not have determined the location in time before each picture is captured. Moreover, a GPS receiver may need to finish downloading an ephemeris before being ready to provide location information.
Because of the aforementioned characteristics of the current state of a GPS receiver, an electronic device might not be able to provide a picture with accurate location information.